Abstract

By Law or Religion, a husband is permitted to have more than one wife. In fact, polygamy is a better way for men than cheating with another woman or get into free sex, because it’s risk of breaking the norm and getting social sanction, such as from their family and society, losing their career, getting diseases, wasting their money, and any other psychology effect that may happen. However, many women are willing and do not mind of getting polygamy. In the other hand, a husband, first wife, and second wife who will have polygamy, least of thinking about the psychology effects to their family. Whereas, polygamy has big effects to family life, that may cause problems in the family. This research aims to know perception of husband, first wife, and
second wife to face polygamy. This research is a descriptive qualitative research. There are three families used as subjects for this research, each family consist of a husband, first wife, and second wife. To do this research, researcher use snow ball sampling, to collect the data researcher use semi structured interview with each subject, and for the validity of this research, it uses a triangulation source. The result of this research shows that husband commonly agree with polygamy, because polygamy may to avoid them from any sexual act outside of marriage or cheating with another woman, and polygamy can give them many children, and also give them more biological satisfaction. First wife said that it’s really hurt their feelings, even though finally they will be agree with it, because of the awareness of their self less and they worry if their husband is cheating with another woman behind them. First wife accept the polygamy, cause they don’t want to be a widow, they think about their children happiness, and also because they don’t have enough materiel to live alone. Second wife said that polygamy is something that usually happens, and many men have done it. In their perception, it’s not a problem if husband can act fairly to each wife, and first wife has permitted his husband to polygamy, moreover Islam permitted it. Second wife want to polygamy, because they want to have a prosperous husband that can give them a better life.